--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Over the past decade I have watched many…" description: "\"Over the past decade I have watched many friends go through graduate school and write dissertations. Through that process, I have seen how they are gui..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c27/dean-spade-13866_decades_over-the-past-decade-i-have-watched-many_1505366.jpg" --- # Over the past decade I have watched many friends go… ![“Over the past decade I have watched many friends go through graduate school and write dissertations. Through that process, I have seen how they are guided by mentors to understand particular norms within their disciplines and to learn about what they can and cannot, should and should not say, and…” quote by Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c27/dean-spade-13866_decades_over-the-past-decade-i-have-watched-many_1505366.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c27/dean-spade-13866_decades_over-the-past-decade-i-have-watched-many_1505366.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c27/dean-spade-13866_decades_over-the-past-decade-i-have-watched-many_1505366.jpg) > “Over the past decade I have watched many friends go through graduate school and write dissertations. Through that process, I have seen how they are guided by mentors to understand particular norms within their disciplines and to learn about what they can and cannot, should and should not say, and which ideas can go together and which cannot. I never went through this process.” [Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Mentors shape graduate students by teaching disciplinary norms, language limits, and idea compatibility, a process not experienced by the author. **In simple terms:** Mentors guide students on what to say and how ideas fit together. Key Takeaway Seek mentorship to navigate academic expectations. Themes education mentorship discipline norms Mood reflective critical Type explanatory thought‑provoking When to use this quote - graduate school - research projects - academic publishing - career planning Key Concepts socialization power dynamics knowledge construction Questions to Reflect On - What norms have you missed without mentorship? - How can you acquire disciplinary language independently? A Different Perspective Self‑directed learning may miss critical contextual cues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Discipline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipline/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Graduate school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graduate-school/) [Graduates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graduates/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Mentor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mentor/) [Mentors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mentors/) [Mentorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mentorship/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I hate set dissertations,--and above all things in the world, 'tis one of the silliest things in one of them, to darken your hypothesis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-sterne/i-hate-set-dissertations-and-above-all-things-in-the-world-tis-one-of/) [Laurence Sterne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-sterne/) > [Not everybody is talented for doing research. I think many women prefer to look for an easier job after their dissertations because it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-nusslein-volhard/not-everybody-is-talented-for-doing-research-i-think-many-women/) [Christiane Nusslein-Volhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-nusslein-volhard/) > [Dissertations are not finished; they are abandoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-brooks/dissertations-are-not-finished-they-are-abandoned/) [Fred Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-brooks/) > [History shows us a lot of things. It shows why the Lord's Prayer includes the supplication: "And lead us not into temptation." In my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-schauble/history-shows-us-a-lot-of-things-it-shows-why-the-lord-s-prayer/) [Wolfgang Schauble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-schauble/) > [“This one thing is great mentoring. Great mentors understand what the students are seeking, what they deeply and completely want, and how they can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-demille/this-one-thing-is-great-mentoring-great-mentors-understand-what-the/) [Oliver DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-demille/) > [I actually did work and produced two short dissertations, one on Faulkner and one on the film criticism of the stream-of-consciousness novelist Dorothy Richardson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/i-actually-did-work-and-produced-two-short-dissertations-one-on/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [I mean, '8 ½' to me is such a great dissertation on the whole, you know, act of filmmaking and creativity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baz-luhrmann/i-mean-8-to-me-is-such-a-great-dissertation-on-the-whole-you-know-act/) [Baz Luhrmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baz-luhrmann/) > [I ran through most of college and ran through most of grad school. When I was writing my dissertation for my Ph.D., it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mcgonigal/i-ran-through-most-of-college-and-ran-through-most-of-grad-school/) [Jane McGonigal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mcgonigal/) > [This is the last sentence of my dissertation: "What is soul in music if not powerfully embodied human presence?"](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-iyer/this-is-the-last-sentence-of-my-dissertation-what-is-soul-in-music-if/) [Vijay Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-iyer/) > [A monumental decision such as starting a family requires persuasive dissertations, licences, spreadsheets and field research. That's what I assumed until one night when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-knighton/a-monumental-decision-such-as-starting-a-family-requires-persuasive/) [Ryan Knighton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-knighton/) > [“That was all he had ever aspired to, with a wife thrown into the bargain, maybe, and a kid or two to go along…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/that-was-all-he-had-ever-aspired-to-with-a-wife-thrown-into-the/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [I didn't pass my degree due to never handing in an acceptable dissertation, and while it didn't harm me in the long run, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-brooker/i-didn-t-pass-my-degree-due-to-never-handing-in-an-acceptable/) [Charlie Brooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-brooker/) > [If you don't have the willpower to stop eating carbs, you won't have the willpower to do a dissertation. #truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-miller/if-you-don-t-have-the-willpower-to-stop-eating-carbs-you-won-t-have/) [Geoffrey Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-miller/) > [ Your tweet is as important as if you would have written a Ph.D. \[dissertation\] on the subject. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raoul-peck/your-tweet-is-as-important-as-if-you-would-have-written-a-ph-d/) [Raoul Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raoul-peck/) > [“What's a dissertation?" "If Satan gave you instructions for writing the book report from Hell, it would closely resemble those of a Ph.D. dissertation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-reisz/what-s-a-dissertation-if-satan-gave-you-instructions-for-writing-the/) [Tiffany Reisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-reisz/) ## More by Dean Spade > [Because my graduate academic training at law school was not one that included most of the intellectual traditions I find useful for understanding the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/because-my-graduate-academic-training-at-law-school-was-not-one-that/) [Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/) > [One of the concepts I was having trouble illustrating was the concept that administrative systems create narrow categories of gender and force people into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/one-of-the-concepts-i-was-having-trouble-illustrating-was-the-concept/) [Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/) > [Let’s be gentle with ourselves and each other and fierce as we fight oppression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/let-s-be-gentle-with-ourselves-and-each-other-and-fierce-as-we-fight/) [Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/) > [More conservative advocacy work often encourages portrayals of trans people as people who deserve rights. Deservingness, of course, corresponds to national racial, gender and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/more-conservative-advocacy-work-often-encourages-portrayals-of-trans/) [Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/) > [Instead of focusing on what the law says about trans people, which is really what the law is saying about itself as a protector…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/instead-of-focusing-on-what-the-law-says-about-trans-people-which-is/) [Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/) > [In addition to encouraging us to participate in narratives of "deservingness" that cast large parts of our constituencies as "undeserving," legal reform strategies encourage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/in-addition-to-encouraging-us-to-participate-in-narratives-of/) [Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/) > ["Oppression" or "systems of oppression" operate as a shorthand terms in much writing and speaking so that we do not have to list all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/oppression-or-systems-of-oppression-operate-as-a-shorthand-terms-in/) [Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/) > [I am interested in recent scholarly work examining the emergence of women's studies and ethnic studies departments and the development of the neoliberal university.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/i-am-interested-in-recent-scholarly-work-examining-the-emergence-of/) [Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/) > [Choosing an agenda that supports the apparatuses of racial violence always pays better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/choosing-an-agenda-that-supports-the-apparatuses-of-racial-violence/) [Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/) > [My work is heavily influenced by critiques that many critical intellectual traditions, especially Critical Race Theory, have made of reform projects focused on legal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/my-work-is-heavily-influenced-by-critiques-that-many-critical/) [Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/) > [Legal reform organizations are usually trying to portray their constituents as "hard workers," as "not criminals," as citizens, as part of normative family arrangements,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/legal-reform-organizations-are-usually-trying-to-portray-their/) [Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/) > [One particular debate that I have seen play out again and again is whether trans people who have more traditional gender expressions or who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/one-particular-debate-that-i-have-seen-play-out-again-and-again-is/) [Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/) > [There are sharply different, competing models of what trans advocacy looks like - those that seek to follow the path laid out by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/there-are-sharply-different-competing-models-of-what-trans-advocacy/) [Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/) > [Legal reform has significant dangers: changing only the window-dressing of harmful systems but leaving the violence of the systems in tact, failing to provide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/legal-reform-has-significant-dangers-changing-only-the-window/) [Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/) > [Law reforms in the US, ostensibly enacted to prohibit racism, have proven ineffective because they focus on bad intentions of individuals and fail to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/law-reforms-in-the-us-ostensibly-enacted-to-prohibit-racism-have/) [Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/) [Explore all 49 Dean Spade quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/) ## More Decades quotes > [Nature will eventually do what nature has always done. It will respond in a self-stabilizing manner over the long term with moderate variability over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-sununu/nature-will-eventually-do-what-nature-has-always-done-it-will-respond/) John H. Sununu > [Music's free and music's for everyone to enjoy and express and interpret. It transcends countries and times and decades.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bat-for-lashes/music-s-free-and-music-s-for-everyone-to-enjoy-and-express-and/) [Bat for Lashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bat-for-lashes/) > [I should have liked to get married, but over many decades I have lived essentially alone. I go to sleep when I'm tired, get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/i-should-have-liked-to-get-married-but-over-many-decades-i-have-lived/) [Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/) > [In a couple of decades you have half of the wells that are drilled right now, and you're talking about numbers in the millions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-fox/in-a-couple-of-decades-you-have-half-of-the-wells-that-are-drilled/) [Josh Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-fox/) > [Among the many factors that make a return to halcyon days of the first decades of the postwar era virtually impossible is the decline…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-gilpin/among-the-many-factors-that-make-a-return-to-halcyon-days-of-the/) [Robert Gilpin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-gilpin/) > [We're focused on providing innovations in software, driving the continuous improvement for a much better experience, and there's a lot going on here that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/we-re-focused-on-providing-innovations-in-software-driving-the/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [UN peacekeeping operations are now increasingly complex and multi-dimensional, going beyond monitoring a ceasefire to actually bringing failed States back to life, often after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/un-peacekeeping-operations-are-now-increasingly-complex-and-multi/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [But we need to be very clear: because of our decades of collective denial, no gradual, incremental options are now available to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/but-we-need-to-be-very-clear-because-of-our-decades-of-collective/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [It's funny, I used to say on 'That 70's Show', you could really put us in any decade, and it was about the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-prepon/it-s-funny-i-used-to-say-on-that-70-s-show-you-could-really-put-us-in/) [Laura Prepon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-prepon/) > [So a truthful assessment of how America is doing in the war on terror as a result of President Bush's war on Iraq is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-olver/so-a-truthful-assessment-of-how-america-is-doing-in-the-war-on-terror/) [John Olver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-olver/) > [... many folks take them seriously because they just 'know' that evolution can never be seen in the immediate here and now. In fact,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/many-folks-take-them-seriously-because-they-just-know-that-evolution/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Nothing evades our attention as persistently as that which we take for granted... the decades roll on without even a suggestion that perhaps the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-brady/nothing-evades-our-attention-as-persistently-as-that-which-we-take/) Marion Brady > [My dad was a bartender. My mom was a cashier, a maid and a stock clerk at K-Mart. They never made it big. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/my-dad-was-a-bartender-my-mom-was-a-cashier-a-maid-and-a-stock-clerk/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [This bill would allow an employee to bring a claim against an employer decades after the alleged initial act of discrimination occurred. Trial lawyers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buck-mckeon/this-bill-would-allow-an-employee-to-bring-a-claim-against-an/) Buck McKeon > [The greatest problem in Japanese politics over the last two decades is that we put off what needed to be done. We have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshihiko-noda/the-greatest-problem-in-japanese-politics-over-the-last-two-decades/) [Yoshihiko Noda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoshihiko-noda/) Browse all 1,717 Decades quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Over the past decade I have watched many friends go through graduate school and write dissertations. Through that process, I have seen how they are guided by mentors to understand particular norms within their disciplines and to learn about what they can and cannot, should and should not say, and which ideas can go together and which cannot. 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